Episode 7 confirms Hal Jordan is indeed deceased, as Kyle Chandler continues through the season as cloud Hal, the fallen hero’s uploaded consciousness. As he and John get a second chance at training, we delve into the late Jordan’s origin and the trait he inherited from his forefathers.
We open in 1975, as a young Hal finds himself in trouble over an in-team skirmish at a baseball game. To his surprise, his father defends his choice not to trade out as pitcher, even tussling with the coach. While he supports his son’s stance, he advises that Hal needs to be prepared for when he fails, and that he can’t hold on to things forever, “because it’s fucking exhausting.”
Fast-forward to present day, John and Hal-ogram become reacquainted in their mission to solve his murder. However, Hal insists he meet this woman that loved him first. After encountering Kerry, Hal’s gut suspects she caused his death. The duo choose to avoid further contact with the sheriff until they investigate what is locked in the storage unit.
The vault reveals a gun and a transportive black orb that leads the former Lanterns to a desolate planet. John can’t help but sense he’s been there before. Viewing the floating city above and the bones littered below, he realizes its Antaan’s home planet that the Manhunters annihilated. From there, they traverse in a boat, sharing more with each other. After saving John from a mind-altering illusion, Hal shares the truth around his father’s untimely death.
Hal’s father, the esteemed air pilot, had died by suicide from a life-long battle with depression. A trait inherited from his father that Hal fears he now carries. He admits he’s fearless because he’s broken, even hypothesizing his death was a suicide, and Kerry simply moved his body to save face.
As the two reach their destination, John is apprehended by a hooded figure. They manage to free him and reveal the stranger to be none other than Sinestro.
“The Jordan Boys’ Legacy” was an extraordinary examination of the man behind the ring. A deeply honest and vulnerable look at the mental strife plaguing Hal, and the ways in which he sought to mitigate that legacy only seemed to exacerbate the symptoms. Heroism brought isolation, leaving Hal to wrestle with decades-old thoughts and hindrances he couldn’t let go. Add the arrival of John Stewart wanting to replace him, he found himself back fighting on that pitcher’s mound because he hadn’t prepared to fail. Perhaps this failure led to his death.
This episode continues the expert writing and performances from our leads. Chandler’s new Hal is amazing to watch, as he offers Aaron Pierre’s John a second chance of getting to know his childhood hero. And although we only had a few scenes with her, Kelly Macdonald’s reunion with Hal was breathtakingly beautiful. Could this beauty be hiding a sinister truth, or protecting a family member with just as much motive and opportunity to have pulled the trigger? All might be revealed in the Lanterns season finale.
Rating: 9.5/10